Moonreaper666- You know, I was going to praise you for the idea or just staying silent, but then you go and write that long review on the reporter story. Like, wow. Just wow. Seriously, what the hell man. You are either pitiful or really wanting attention. Like for real, for someone that wants their questions asked and doing long reviews talking about them, you certainly aren't thinking that maybe they'll be done later on instead of now because it's not yet time for that.

And for your information, I'm not white. Take that as you will.

R reyes- I can't do a preview because I haven't finalized whose going to live or die and I haven't figured out what to do for that crossover.

Kraut007- I see, thank you. I do try.

Royal Twin Fangs- No.

Federation task force Alpha

One hour before arrival to Garden of Thorns

Kowen

In the deep vacuum of space, a massive Federation task force was making its way to the Garden of Thorns, the headquarters of the Delaz Fleet. Hundreds of vessels, from the old Salamis and Magellan cruisers to their new retrofitted version that were up to date with current technological standards, made up the fleet. At the forefront of this task force were the two brand new battleship designs, the Dogosse Giar and the Birmingham. With these ships were admirals Kowen and Wyatt. These two admirals will be leading the attack on the Delaz fleet and end their threat once and for all.

Kowen was sitting in the captain's chair of his new warship when he was informed that Wyatt was contacting him. After ordering that he be put through, Kowen saw the face of Wyatt through the bridge's central communication screen.

"Alright, I have my men ready to go and annihilate the enemy forces." Said Admiral Wyatt as he looked at Kowen from his own ship, the Birmingham. "I'd say we should send forth several recon mobile suits to gauze the enemy forces before we launch our forces." Kowen nodded in agreement at that.

"Agreed." Said Kowen. "Once they've obtained sufficient intel, we'll launch several task forces to neutralize the enemy forces. We should, however, try to disable the enemy flagship instead of destroying it as Admiral Delaz could give us some intel on other Zeon remnant cells still operating." Wyatt just nodded in agreement at that.

"Alright, we're nearly in combat range with the enemy forces." Said Wyatt. "If you want to make a speech first before ordering everyone to go to level one battle stations, now's the time." Kowen nodded at that before asking if he'll have his men listen to his speech, to which Wyatt just grunted. "If they fight harder because of it, then what the hell. No skin off my back." Kowen thanked Wyatt before he ordered his comm officer to initiate a fleetwide broadcast so the entire task force can hear him. Once that was done, he spoke.

"Taskforce Alpha, this is admiral Kowen of the 4th fleet." Said Kowen. "As you all might know, in under an hour, we'll be engaging the enemy forces of the Delaz fleet. Though we thwarted their attempts to launch a nuclear warhead at the Naval review at Konpei Island as well as their attempts to capture two space colonies as makeshift weapons against Earth, we still have to deal with the main force in order to prevent them from enacting another plan that threatens the Earth Sphere. So, to prevent that, we're launching a full-scale assault on the Delaz fleet at their own headquarters. While it's not possible they've managed to assemble anything truly threatening against the Federation in terms of conventional means, we still should proceed with caution. The Delaz fleet has proven its fanaticism with its attempted usage of nuclear weapons against the Earth Federation. There is no telling just how fanatical they really are and how far they're willing to go to fight us." Kowen then took a deep breath before getting to the point of his speech. "I'll be honest, if these fanatics hadn't been affiliated with a corrupt and dictatorship government like the Principality of Zeon or had attempted to perform Operation Stardust, I would have respected them for their tenacity and their continual persistence in upholding the beliefs of their nation. But because of those actions and affiliations, I don't. And it's quite sad, truly. These people are so blinded by their love for their nation's beliefs. By their patriotism. That they either fail to see the hypocrisy of their nation or their actions. We, however, know that the Federation isn't perfect. We know that it has done some things incompetently or isn't fair to everyone. And as much as I wish it to be, it cannot. No government can be perfect. And that is what we understand. We also understand that, even if our government is pro-Earthnoid, it can still be reformed into something better. Something that can be something that all humans, not Spacenoids or Earthnoids, can be proud of to be a part of. That is why we will succeed and why we must not fail. In order to give the Earth Federation the chance to become that great thing we all believe it can be. So, go out there, soldiers of the Federation, make me proud and fight for the future that you all believe in." With that, Kowen ended his speech and then ordered his comm officer to order the entire task force to engage in level one battle stations. As everyone scrambled to their battle stations, Kowen prayed that the battle will go as smoothly as they hope it will go.

Forty minutes later, several GM scout mobile suits, mobile suits designed for the idea of conducting reconnaissance ahead of friendly forces or behind enemy lines, were sent ahead of the task force, all of which were outfitted with the best stealth tech the Federation had at their disposal, to conduct recon while the rest readied themselves for the upcoming attack. When the data came flowing back, the assault would then commence.

Few hours later

Delaz

Something was very wrong. Anavel and Cima should have reported in by now that they completed their objectives. Yet they haven't and it was making him suspicious. Cima, that woman, he could understand, but Gato would never do such a thing. He would have instantly told him of the success of his mission the moment he could. So, why didn't he report it.

A traitorous thought then erupted into his mind, but he quickly cast it aside. There was no way they failed. No possible way for them to fail. His plan was absolutely flawless. The Federation couldn't have defeated them both so thoroughly that he couldn't have heard about it sooner. There was just no way.

As he attempted to find reasons for both Cima and Gato were delayed in reporting in, an aide came scrambling towards him, his face filled with fear and horror.

"Sir!" Yelled the aide as he came to a halt next to Delaz while he was in thought. Looking at the aide, he ordered him to speak up. "The enemy has been spotted in the perimeter. They're closing in on us as we speak!" Delaz widened his eyes in shock at that. How could the Federation be here? They must have stumbled upon them by the incident. They had to. They've never bothered to come here in this debris-filled area to look for Zeon remnant forces before. Why would they do so now?

"How many are there?" Demanded Delaz, thinking it was just a small patrol group. If it was, then they can easily eliminate them before they could call for help. They'll have to move to a new headquarters as a result, but they can easily do that. They just have to eliminate them quickly and then move away quickly. The answer he got, however, put a dash to those plans.

"Over hundreds of warships sir! Led by two enormous battleships!" Said the aide, fear in his eyes. Widening his eyes further, Delaz realized that this meant that they had failed at the naval review and that the Federation had discovered their location from one of their men. Despair then threatened to overcome Delaz as he realized that Operation Stardust was a complete failure. The hope of bringing back the Principality of Zeon was gone forever.

Grasping his head in horror, Delaz tried to calm himself as his bridge crew began to yell out in ever-increasing alarm as more and more Federation mobile suits appeared in their scanners. Just before the scanners were jammed due to Minovsky interference, they accounted for thousands upon thousands of mobile suits coming at them. As his men scrambled to defend themselves against the Federation assault, Delaz was grasping his head, wallowing in his failures.

"I've failed the Principality of Zeon!" Thought Delaz as he began losing himself in his grief. "I've failed Gihren Zabi! I've failed my nation! Doomed. We're all doomed!" He was so busy wallowing in his own failures that he didn't notice the pleading of his officers to coordinate their defenses against the Federation onslaught.

Meanwhile
Kou Uraki

'Take this!" Yelled Kou as he destroyed a Zaku F2 with his beam rifle before using it again to destroy a Rick Dom. With those two out of the picture, he then quickly sped towards a Musai cruiser as it opened fire on an old Salamis cruiser, taking out its secondary bridge. He quickly destroyed two of its mega cannon with his beam rifle before he let loose his Vulcan guns at the bridge, filling it full of holes and killing the entire bridge staff. This allowed the Salamis cruiser to pick off the Musai with ease. Focusing fire on the superstructure, the Salamis destroyed the Musai by aiming for it's reactor, causing it to explode. Kou, as this was happening, piloted the GPO1 Gundam out of the blast radius. Smiling as the Musai exploded, Kou looked around to see various Federation mobile suits destroying enemy warships with ease before they could even deploy their mobile suits.

He watched as one GM command II destroyed three Zaku F2s as they were deploying out of their mothership and he watched as a GM sniper III destroyed two of those new Zeon mobile suits with its beam sniper rifle. And another GM sniper III was sniping out defense turrets placed all around the debris field that the recon unit managed to identity before anyone can man them. Things like this and more were happening all around him as Federation forces were annihilating Delaz fleet forces. To call this a massacre would be accurate. It was almost too easy.

So easy that Kou believed he could ponder on something that has been bothering him. Kowen's speech. As much as it inspired him to fight today, it made him wonder about it as well. More specifically his role in the Federation military.

He supported the Federation, don't get him wrong, and he believed it was a far better alternative than what the Principality of Zeon offered back during the One Year War, but Kowen's speech made him wonder if he supported its ideals.

He knew that it was a pro-Earthnoid government that placed the importance of Earth and those born on it higher than those who live in space or born there. But he never really cared about politics that much. He joined up to both support his family and because of all the cool stuff, the Federation had, like Londo Bell and mobile suits. Thinking about it now, those reasons seemed kind of silly except for the first one. He thought it was all fun and games until he was thrust into real combat, facing actual enemy combatants and seeing their remains or having them try to kill him. It made him realize that the military was a serious matter and that he needed to get into the mindset that everything is serious and he was fully behind everything going on, including the mindset and beliefs of the government he's serving under.

Sighing, Kou wondered if he actually supported the Earth Federation government politically and if he should. He didn't care if someone was born on Earth or not. In fact, he disapproved and hated such bigotry, finding it pointless and something that shouldn't be around in the space age. It was something that made him slightly disgusted with himself for working with a government that supports such things. But at the same time, Kowen was right. The Federation was clearly changing if they had him, a known Spacenoid, serving as an admiral in the space force and the fact they have a Spacenoid, the White Devil himself, training the next generation of pilots in a prestigious academy, where Londo Bell, one of the reasons he joined the military in the first place, recruits from. So, clearly, the Federation is capable of change and for the better.

That being said, Kowen was also right that too much patriotism can be a bad thing as well. The Delaz fleet being a prime example of that. They attempted to use a nuclear weapon at a naval review, killing tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of military personal with a weapon that was banned since the One Year War and called it the will of Zeon. They even attempted to hijack some colonies and drop them on Earth exactly like what they pulled during the One Year War with Operation British if the rumor mill was to be believed.

Combining all this, Kou didn't know what to do. Should he continue fighting for the Federation and hope they'll change enough to justify his continued loyalties, risking his soul and him becoming like someone of the Delaz fleet. Or leave and fade into obscurity, as much as he could anyway. He was so deep into thought of this that he didn't notice a Rick Dom coming after him with a heat saber. He only noticed it when Rook alerted him of it.

Yelping out in shock, Kou turned around to face the Rick Dom and was about to engage it when it was blasted apart by a GM command II as it came charging in with a team of other GM command IIs and GM sniper IIIs. Kicking the Rick Dom away, the GM responsible for the kill watched as the mobile suit exploded a safe distance before turning towards the GPO1 Gundam.

"What the heck was that, Kou?" Asked Burning as he opened his commlink. "You froze up in the middle of the battlefield? That's a good way to get you killed!" Embarrassed, Kou apologized for his mistake and promised it won't happen again. Sighing, Burning then asked what was up, also asking if he's suffering from a headache from his battle before back at the Naval Review. Telling Burning that it wasn't that, he then explained to Burning what was eating at him as the rest of the 4th Immortal team covered them, watching for any stray fire or enemy mobile suits coming at them. Upon hearing his explanation, Burning sighed. "We'll talk about this after the battle, Kou. But for now, focus on the battle. We got to win this for the Federation, understood." After getting a yes sir from Kou, Burning then ordered the 4th immortal team to move out. And so, the Albion mobile suits quickly moved to another area of the battlefield so they can add their firepower to other Federation forces. Not like that, it was needed.

Present

Luna II

Interrogation room

"And that is how the Delaz fleet was completely wiped out." Said agent Smith as he recounted the events at the Garden of Thorns to Karius Otto, the only Delaz fleet personal that the Federation managed to capture alive. "I must admit, calling it a battle would be a mockery, wouldn't it? Only five deaths in total for the Federation that day and you lost nearly everyone but yourself." Smith then chuckled a bit. "How does it feel to be the only survivor, Mr. Otto." Karius didn't say anything, only clutching his fists in anger, which Smith caught. "Much as I sympathize, I really do, but I need to complete this interrogation and give my recommendation to the military court if you should be given leniency or not. Mr. Otto. Aside from the beginning, you haven't really told me anything that I don't already know. What you can, tell me, however, is how Delaz died and if he left anything to note." Smith then glanced at Karius as he wondered what to do. "Well, Mr. Otto? Will you tell me how Delaz died?" Karius just sighed before recounting those events.

Past

Gwazine battleship Gwaden

Karius Otto

Karius Otto was running as fast as he could towards the bridge of the Gwaden, the flagship of the entire Delaz fleet. His mobile suit had sustained irreversible damage on his way here, but that didn't matter. What mattered was getting Delaz to coordinate their defenses.

For whatever reason, once the Federation attacked commenced, Delaz hadn't been coordinating their efforts against the Federation. As a result, they've been fighting with no real plan or strategy and it was costing them a lot. Soon, the Federation was going to win and they'll all be either taken prisoner or killed. He had to get Delaz to coordinate their defenses. Otherwise, this battle is over.

As he ran, a part of his mind told him that it was pointless. That the battle was already decided, but Karius didn't care. Or rather didn't want it to be true. That all the efforts they did for the past three years. All that planning. All that hope was all for nothing. It just wasn't fair. Finally making it to the bridge, he opened the door to the bridge and was greeted with a shocking and horrifying scene.

The entire bridge staff was dead. All of them were dead. Shot by, to his shock and confusion, admiral Delaz, who was sitting amongst the dead with an assault rifle by his feet, clutching his head with wild eyes.

"It's all her fault. All her fault." Whispered Delaz as he repeated the same phrase over and over again. Karius, the shock has worn off now, ran over to the admiral and tried to get him up, but he wouldn't budge.

"Sir! You need to get up!" Yelled Karius as he ignored the dead all around them. "The enemy is annihilating us piece by piece. Our people are going in without any proper strategy or cohesion. We need you to guide us, sir!" Eventually, Delaz shoved Karius off him, sending the man to the ground.

"It's all her fault!" Yelled Delaz as he got up, clutching his head. "We weren't ready to face the Federation, yet she came to me and offered me a way to get back at the Federation for our defeat during the One Year War. It's her fault! All these deaths are her fault! She made me conduct Operation Stardust!" Shocked at what the admiral was saying, Karius was about to respond again when Delaz brought out a pistol. "That damn Cima! It's all her fault! That traitorous snake is behind all this! I know it! She betrayed us so she can take us all down with her! I know it! She's always been disloyal to the Principality of Zeon since the war ended. I shouldn't have listened to her!" He then looked at his pistol. "Now all my men are dead. I failed Gihren and the people under my guidance. I…failed. I failed. I…I don't deserve to live." With that Delaz pointed the pistol to his forehead. Widening his eyes in shock, Karius tried to stop Delaz, but was too late. He pulled the trigger and killed himself. Staring in shock as Delaz's body fell to the ground with a thud, Karius was frozen there as the battle waged on. When Federation forces boarded the vessel, they found Karius there amongst the dead.

Present

Luna II

"So, that's how he died." Said Smith as he wrote this down. "Interesting. It seems that the concept of failure had gotten to his head and he couldn't live with it. Though I suppose I can't blame him. Being too overconfident in your plans can do that to people when they realize said plans aren't as foolproof as they like to believe. And that is all you have to say? Nothing else that you're neglecting to mention?" Karius just shook his head at that, not saying anymore. There wasn't anything left to say. Smith nodded at that before motioning for the GM trooper in the room to take Karius away. "Thank you for your cooperation, Petty officer Otto. You've been a great help."

"What do you mean by great help?" Demanded Karius as the GM trooper began escorting him away. "How does anything I say help you?" Karius didn't get an answer before he was taken away, back to his cell. Once he was certain he was alone, Smith spoke.

"In ways, you won't understand." Said Smith before bringing out a small phone. He pushed a button before placing the phone near his ear. Once someone picked up, he spoke. "This is agent Smith. I have the intel you were looking for. You were right. Miss Cima had, indeed, been behind Delaz conducting Operation Stardust." The person on the other side of the call spoke a bit before allowing Smith to speak. "Yes, something isn't quite right. We'll need to check the briefcase again. See if there isn't something we're missing. I'm heading back to the Albion. Perhaps informing captain Synapse of this will help us figure out what was Cima's end goals were. Also, I recommend giving Karius Otto some leniency during his trial later this month. He deserves it for being such a good little assistant." With that, he ended the call. After putting the cell phone in a pocket of his, the special agent left the interrogation room in order to head to the Albion to speak with its captain.

As he left, his mind went back to the events that happened after the destruction of the Delaz fleet. The beginning of the formation of the Titans.